Delhi Police officials on the trail of auto-lifters in Meerut faced unforeseen resistance despite success in nabbing two persons in connection with the theft of two vehicles of a chartered accountant (CA) in one night from Netaji Subhash Place area, said sources.

A police team managed to arrest an auto-lifter and a receiver of stolen vehicles, but was unable to pin down another receiver in Meerut long enough to question him in the case, the sources added. “Even as the second receiver was being detained, he managed to inform his contacts and more than 40 people, several of them carrying sophisticated weapons, turned up within minutes to challenge Delhi Police officials,” said a source. “Leading them was a former MLA who is hopeful of getting a ticket to contest the next UP assembly polls.”

DCP (north-west) Vijay Singh admitted Delhi police officials faced this resistance. He told The Indian Express, the team detained a suspected receiver from Meerut toll plaza, but was intercepted by around 40 people led by a former MLA.

“After a heated argument, they managed to free him from our custody before the local police arrived. We are coordinating with Uttar Pradesh Police and will call him after serving a notice,” Singh added. Police declined to name the politician involved in the standoff.

Delhi Police had been tracking auto-lifters in Meerut after CA Satish Aggarwal’s Toyota Fortuner and Hyundai Verna were stolen from outside his bungalow on the intervening night of May 24-25. After sustained surveillance and investigation, auto-lifter Mohammed Ishtiyak and Mohammed Israr, a receiver of stolen vehicles, were arrested in the case, said police. The engine parts of the CA’s stolen Verna were also recovered, police added.